Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal announces Multiple Initiatives to unlock potential of Blue Economy of Indian Ocean at IMU Convocation
Union Minister inaugurates the Centre for Policy Research in Maritime Studies
Shri Sonowal calls upon the IMU to focus on enabling students to secure the maximum from new age marine opportunities including Aquaculture, Marine Biotech, Ocean Energy
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal announced multiple initiatives at the Indian Maritime University’s  7th convocation in Chennai,Tamil Nadu today. A Centre for Policy Research in Maritime Studies  of IMU was also inaugurated by the Union Minister.
The C-PRiMeS centre will undertake maritime studies and act as a think tank for the development of the marine economy. To supplement the vision of Sagarmala programme of the Government, multiple initiatives were announced open by Shri Sonowal to unlock the huge potential of Blue Economy of Indian Ocean at the IMU convocation here today.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sonowal, said, “It gives me immense pleasure to attend this important event here today. As India works through the Amrit Kaal to become an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the role of Blue Economy in propelling the growth story of India is immense. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the Ministry is working to strengthen the coastal economy of the country through its Sagarmala programme. While improve our infrastructure, we must equip ourselves to secure optimum utilisation of the opportunity at hand as Ocean based Blue Economy is the next sunrise sector for development.”
Adding on the new opportunities from marine sectors, the Union Minister said, “Apart from traditional sectors like shipping, offshore mineral exploration, fishing, undersea cable and tourism, we must equip our economy to take the best advantage from the upcoming sectors like Aqua culture, marine biotechnology, ocean energy and sea bed mining etc. This can be done only through training our talent pool with the best possible knowledge and training on modern marine technologies which is being made possible here at IMU. I am confident that we will continue to work towards enabling our students and cadets with the best possible training so that the ultimate objective of marine economy led growth can be unlocked for the growth of the Indian economy.”
In order to improve the training module with an aim to expose the students to the best minds of the sector, the students are being imparted training under the Global Initiative of Academic Networks  scheme. In order to strengthen the capacity of IMU in industrial research, consultancy and policy studies, the IMU with the support of the Institute of Marine Engineers India  has established a Chair position, and with the Company of Master Mariners of India , the professional exposure for cadets and students are being done. A Cumulative Professional Development Allowance  of ₹3 lakhs for three years for the training of faculty has also been introduced. The IMU also has a tie up with the National Institute of Advanced Study , Bengaluru and Research & Information System , New Delhi to work on the policy research of the maritime economy. A Career Advancement Scheme at IMU for fast track career growth of faculty, nomination of students for various training programmes has been going on at Antwerp Port Training Centre in Belgium.
A project worth ₹ 21.94 lakhs awarded to IMU by Inland Waterways Authority of India  for ‘Development of Energy Efficient River survey drifter drone ’ on Self-Propulsion Model  are a few among the overall achievements of IMU in the recent years.
In addition, a project worth ₹57.50 Lakh was sanctioned by Tamil Nadu Government in respect of offshore Reconnaissance Survey of a Sangam Age Korkai Port, Tamil Nadu is one of the recent Research project undertaken by IMU in association with NIOT, Chennai.
Earlier at the IMU Convocation, the Shri Sarbananda Sonowal awarded Gold and Silver medals to the top students from various disciplines.
The programme was also attended by the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Tourism, Shripad Naik along with the Union Minister of State for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Tourism. The convocation was declared open by Dr Malini V Shankar, Vice Chancellor of IMU earlier. As many as 401 students were awarded in person their respective Doctoral degrees, Post Graduate degrees & diplomas as well as the under graduate degrees of all schools. As many as 3179 students received their degrees virtually. The ceremony captured and gathered beautiful memories. The grand ceremony was attended by Shri K. Saravanan, Registrar; Commodore Kishore Dattatraya Joshi , Controller of Examinations and other senior IMU officials & authorities.
IMU - headquartered in Chennai - was established on 14th November, 2008 as a Central University by merging seven legacy institutes to provide quality maritime education, training, and research. IMU offers undergraduate , postgraduate , and Ph. D programmes in its 6 Campuses located at Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam. There are 17 Maritime Training Institutes affiliated with IMU. The University continues to build on the strength of its legacy institutes  as it embarks on a journey to become a global research oriented maritime University.